After the Demon Lord Lost His Memory, He Became the Immortal Venerable's Dao Companion - Chapter 23

Shen Yuzong and Qi Yan landed near a Taoist temple. By following the mountain path straight down, one could reach the most prosperous capital of the Yong Kingdom.

Outside of the frontier regions, which had been occupied by several peculiar tribes, the mortal realm was generally divided into three kingdoms: the Yong Kingdom, the Qi Kingdom, and the Wen Kingdom.

Before Shen Yuzong had joined the Chaotian Sect, he was a prince of the Yong Kingdom. However, a century had passed, and the world had undergone drastic changes. His once-familiar relatives and friends had long entered the cycle of reincarnation and were reborn; perhaps they had already been reincarnated several times over.

As the two walked forward, the once-quiet streets suddenly bustled with people. Laughter and cheer filled the air, and the sounds of juggling and vendors calling out surrounded them.

Qi Yan was dazzled; it was his first time seeing so many strange and wonderful things. Shen Yuzong followed close behind, keeping a watchful eye on him.

“Sugar figurines! Get your sugar figurines here!”

“Candied hawthorns! Fresh candied hawthorns!”

“The latest novels have arrived! The newest masterpiece by Master Mingnan! Do not miss out as you pass by!”

“…”

Qi Yan stopped in his tracks, staring at the bright red, unknown snacks before him. He heard the old man beside him shouting, “Candied hawthorns!”

Qi Yan turned to ask Shen Yuzong, “What is a candied hawthorn?”

“Are you not angry anymore, Zhuzhu?”

Shen Yuzong should not have brought it up; the moment he did, Qi Yan felt flustered again. He pursed his lips, not wanting to deal with him.

“Alright, alright, I was wrong.” Shen Yuzong gripped Qi Yan’s hand tightly and, as if performing a magic trick, produced a bag of money from his ring and tossed it to the old vendor.

“Sir, you do not need to pay so much! This money is enough to buy my entire stall!”

“It does not matter.” Shen Yuzong did not care at all and casually picked up a skewer of candied hawthorns, handing it to Qi Yan.

Qi Yan declined a few times before reluctantly accepting it. He looked down at the translucent coating over the red fruit, unsure of how to take a bite. Yet, he did not want to appear ignorant and invite Shen Yuzong’s mockery.

Shen Yuzong saw right through Qi Yan’s thoughts. He held onto the hand Qi Yan used to grasp the skewer and guided the top piece into his own mouth. “The outer layer is sugar coating; you can eat it.”

Qi Yan pulled his hand back and retorted stubbornly, “Did I need you to tell me that? Of course I knew it was edible. How annoying, making me eat your leftovers again!”

Shen Yuzong sighed helplessly. “Have I not eaten plenty of things you have touched? Are you really that disgusted?”

He reached out to flick Qi Yan’s nose and leaned close to his ear, whispering, “I have even drunk your fluids, yet here you are, acting all delicate.”

Qi Yan flushed with embarrassment, his heart racing. He hurriedly turned sideways to cover Shen Yuzong’s mouth. “What nonsense are you spouting! Have you no shame? We are still on the main street!”

Shen Yuzong remained indifferent, taking hold of Qi Yan’s hand and teasing him even further, “Are you blushing, my lady?”

Qi Yan turned his head away, showing Shen Yuzong only his silent back, though the tips of his ears, exposed to the air, had turned bright red.

How infuriating! How can a person be this shameless?

Along the way, Qi Yan acted like a thief, constantly guarding against any surprise attacks from Shen Yuzong. He held the skewer, gently licking the solidified transparent sugar.

Shen Yuzong was half a head taller than Qi Yan. Even following behind, he could see the actions of his “little wife” clearly. He had already tasted that red tip of a tongue countless times; it was much sweeter than any candied hawthorn.

“It is so sweet,” Qi Yan could not help but say.

“Mm, I know,” Shen Yuzong said with a faint smile, his eyes reflecting a tiny image of Qi Yan.

Qi Yan assumed this was merely Shen Yuzong’s observation based on the piece he had just tasted, completely missing the hidden meaning behind his words. He bit into half a piece, splitting the hawthorn in the middle.

The moment the sugar coating dissolved, Qi Yan felt an intense sourness. He pulled a bitter face, “Why is it so sour?”

Shen Yuzong uttered another “Mm,” and, like someone teasing a small kitten, reached out to stroke the wrinkles forming on Qi Yan’s cheeks.

After eating a few pieces, Qi Yan grew tired of it and carelessly tossed the remaining half-skewer to Shen Yuzong, leaving the poor snack to its fate.

“Speaking of the former Demon Lord of the Demon Realm, Qi Yan, he was truly wicked and unforgivable, a man devoid of conscience who committed every atrocity under the sun! It was precisely then that Immortal Lord Mingzhao of the Chaotian Sect, responding to the joint petition of hundreds of immortal clans, emerged from seclusion overnight.”

“He pursued that demon for a hundred miles, all the way to the bottom of Heartbreak Cliff, ensuring the demon could never survive before finally setting his mind at ease!”

The audience below immediately exclaimed in admiration, “The Immortal Lord is truly a man of great righteousness! He went to such great lengths to protect all living beings!”

“And what happened later? How is the Immortal Lord now?” someone asked.

The storyteller looked sage and calm, sighing with regret, “It is only a pity that the Immortal Lord was severely injured in that great battle and is still in seclusion within the sect, healing his wounds.”

“Sigh, I do not know when the Immortal Lord will recover.”

“That Demon Lord is truly hateful! He did all those evil things and still had to drag the Immortal Lord down with him.”

Qi Yan listened intently. He led Shen Yuzong to a tea table, curiously anticipating the rest of the story. Shen Yuzong did not look at the people around them; he only stared at every move Qi Yan made. As if afraid of something, even though they were sitting face-to-face, he insisted on holding Qi Yan’s hand on the table.

Qi Yan was focused on the storyteller on the stage and had no time to deal with Shen Yuzong’s little antics.

Qi Yan…

The name Qi Yan… have I heard it somewhere before?

After thinking for a long time, he still could not recall, so Qi Yan looked at the wooden table with a troubled expression.

The waiter noticed the two guests had not ordered anything and leaned in, “Dear guests, what would you like to order?”

“What do you have here?” Qi Yan asked, resting his chin on his hand.

“In reply to our guests, we have the best pastries in all of Dayong.”

Qi Yan frowned, for he had no idea what pastries were considered good in Dayong.

“One plate each of osmanthus cake, date sugar cake, snowflake cake, crispy cake, and almond cake,” Shen Yuzong said for him.

“Right away! Please wait a moment. The tea on the table is hot, so please enjoy. We specifically purchased this from the Imperial Tea Merchant.”

Qi Yan was puzzled, “How did you know what they had?”

“I am originally from the Yong Kingdom,” Shen Yuzong explained.

“Oh!”

“What is wrong? Did this make you angry too?” Shen Yuzong asked, amused as he looked at Qi Yan.

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